LIBDEMS LAUNCH £20M PLAN FOR POLICE ON STATIONS AND TRAINS

9.00.00am GMT Wed 25th Jan 2006

Liberal Democrats at the London Assembly today launched a £20 million plan to put more than 270 police officers on London's rail stations and trains. The plan is a keynote feature of their proposals for the Mayor's Budget for 2006/07.

Commenting on the plan, Graham Tope, Lib Dem Leader on the London Assembly said:

"Londoners do not feel safe on rail stations or on trains. Liberal Democrats will press the Mayor to fund more police and police community support officers to patrol our stations and our trains. We have detailed costed plans for 272 new officers to be deployed on each of London's rail franchises. Passengers need the reassurance of a visible uniformed presence.

"Ken Livingstone is actually planning to cut spending on policing our railways next year. Labour likes to talk tough on crime but when it comes to paying the bills, they won't sign the cheques."

Lord Tope, who chairs the Metropolitan Police Authority's Finance Committee, said he was confident that the plan offered excellent value for money.

Crime levels on London's suburban rail network are highest on South Eastern Trains lines with 3,025 recorded crimes on the most recent available figures. LibDems plan to put 67 officers on their lines, patrolling both stations and trains, at an annual cost of nearly £3 million.

The LibDem plan will cover all London's commuter rail stations and trains and the funding includes costings for vehicles, equipment and logistical support. The Mayor would "buy" policing from the British Transport Police. The Mayor already funds policing for Tube and bus by the Met paid for out of Transport for London's budget.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Liberal Democrat plan for Policing Rail is costed at £20 million to cover not only 272 police officers and PCSOs at a cost of £12.1 million, but all the support costs for this Londonwide operation.

2. The proposals are included in the London Assembly LibDems' budget proposals for 2006/07. LibDems also propose to slash some of the Mayor's flagship plans - eg the controversial £650 million West London Tram scheme which could be replaced by an electric trolleybus scheme for a quarter of the cost.

3. The Mayor's own budget proposals plan a reduction in spending on policing for rail stations and trains. Expenditure by TfL on policing and security on overground rail stations and line in London in 2005/06 is currently forecast to be £9.9m. In 2006/07 expenditure of £8.9m is budgeted.

4. Transport for London currently pay for policing on just one of London's rail franchises - the Silverlink Metro franchise in North London - with 35 police officers and 10 PCSOs at a cost of £2 million (an average cost of around £44,000 per officer including on-costs). LibDem plans for the other nine rail franchises have been worked out on this cost basis, which we are assured is an appropriate costing assumption.

5. Details of the LibDem plan for Policing Rail are as follows:

Train Operating stations recorded officers estimated

Company crimes proposed cost

South West Trains 44 2074 46 £2,050,000

Southern Railway 47 2669 59 £2,625,000

Thameslink 20 1232 27 £1,200,000

Silverlink C +M 53 2031 45 (actual) £2,000,000

S Eastern Trains 65 3025 67 £2,980,000

WAGN 19 462 10 £ 445,000

c2c 4 396 9 £ 400,000

One 39 1804 40 £1,780,000

First Gt Western 11 456 10 £ 445,000

Chilterns 7 156 4 £ 178,000

TOTAL ESTIMATED EXTRA SPEND: £12,103,000

TOTAL EXTRA OFFICERS: 272

Figures for recorded crimes are the most recent available, and are for the year 2004/05. The number of stations listed for each rail franchise records the number of stations through which each operating company's trains pass - not the stations for which they are themselves responsible.